28/06/2009 - Le Tour 2009 Teams - Rabobank
The Tour de France 2009 starts in Monaco on the 4th July. We build up to the start of the greatest cycle race in the world with a look at each team.
Bikes: Giant
Components: Shimano, PRO
Sponsor: Bank
Country: Netherlands
Colours: Orange, blue and white
Riders to watch: Denis Menchov, Oscar Freire, Robert Gesink
Points of Interest:
This year the team will be riding Giant bikes, including the Giant time trial bike which Columbia Highroad were still riding (albeit branded as a "Highroad" bike) earlier this season.
2009 Tour:
Rabobank already have one Grand Tour victory under their belts for 2008 - Denis Menchov took the 2009 Giro d´Italia in the fashion with which Miguel Indurain used to win the Tour de France - nothing flash, nothing exciting, just what was required.
Whether Menchov will have recovered and be ready to win the Tour de France is another matter entirely. He finished 3rd in last year´s Tour de France, after he tried and failed to follow Sastre up Alp d´ Huez.
Expect the team to win a stage and maybe even the green jersey with Oscar Freire. The team is also home to a star of the future - Robert Gesink. Expect Gesink to perform well on the daunting Mont Ventoux climb.
